Lawyers, academics and journalists raised fresh doubts this week about federal government plans to encourage people to use a statutory privacy tort for lawsuits. The government’s plans to encourage people to sue each other using a statutory privacy tort have been denounced by The Rule of Law Institute as so uncertain as to undermine the...
In a major drink driving crack down the Government has made major changes to transport and law to catch and penalise offenders. Amendments have been made by the State Government to the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2010 in response to its Drink Driving in Queensland discussion paper. There are three major reforms which...
There are now tougher controls and strict penalties for weapons-related offences. Currently Queensland laws require the registration of weapons and licensing of persons in possession of them. Weapons covered in the legislation include firearms, laser pointers, possession of bladed weapons such as a ballistic knife or butterfly knife in a public place or school, and...
The Neighbourhood Disputes Resolution Bill 2010 was introduced to Parliament in November 2010. A proposed new law to solve neighbourhood disputes about trees and fences will provide clear and practical ways to resolve neighbourhood disputes informally. If disputes cannot be informally resolved, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) will be able to deal with...
Promoting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Queensland Forensic Disability Bill 2011 was introduced into Queensland Parliament on 7 April 2011 to provide a framework to support Queensland’s Forensic Disability Service. This service is a purpose built therapeutic environment for people with an intellectual or cognitive disability (and no...
Queensland will be the first state to adopt the new Work Health and Safety Act 2011 on Monday 6 July with other States and Territories soon to follow. The new Act is a result of a three-year national reform and will replace the Workplace Health & Safety Act 1995. In July 2008, the Council...
The Queensland Government has introduced new pool safety laws that that amend the Building Act 1975 (Qld). The laws affect both new and existing pools and have significant impact on sellers, buyers, landlords, tenants and real estate agents. All pools must comply with the new pool safety rules by 30 November 2015 (or...
The new Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2010 (Qld) (BCCM) was given Royal Assent on 14 April 2011. This legislation changes the way body corporate fees are proportioned between lot owners and can be amended. New disclosure obligations for sellers Sellers will now need to provide additional disclosure when...
High infrastructure charges that stall new projects, cost jobs and push up the price of housing in Queensland are now a thing of the past following the passing of the Sustainable Planning (Housing Affordability and Infrastructure Charges Reform) Amendment Bill on 25 May 2011. The Bill aims to establish, through State planning regulations, a...
Recent reviews of the Federal Government’s family law reforms in 2006 have revealed a misinterpretation of the laws in practice. Professor Alan Hayes, director of the Institute of Family Studies, said that the developmental implications of the new laws were problematic, particularly in relation to the equal shared parent responsibility. “For about four to five...
